ᐅ Restrictions on Photovoltaic Systems in the Development Plan

I’m currently browsing through zoning plans for new development areas that we found interesting (even though some of them might already be partly completed).

I came across the following passage:

(Source: Zoning plan 900 from the city of Bochum)

At first glance, this seems quite restrictive to me (1.50m (5 feet) distance from all roof edges and a maximum of 50%). Until now, I had always heard that if you install photovoltaic panels, you should place as many as possible on the roof. Here, suddenly, much less seems to be allowed. Or is this actually within the usual range of restrictions? It feels like I often see roofs with only about a 50cm (20 inch) clearance around them...

Are such regulations common? Is the purpose purely aesthetic, or are there other reasons behind them? I’m just trying to understand where this requirement comes from.

The local development plan authority apparently wants the structures on flat roofs to be barely noticeable from below and, for pitched roofs, the color appearance of the roof not to be dominated by them (i.e., the total tiled roof surface should be at least as large as the area covered by the modules). The houses should not appear to be merely accessories to the solar installations. The development plan probably originates from a time before the green, blue, and future hype.

---

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:

The development plan probably originated before the Green, Blue & Future hype.

Well, the development plan became effective in 2020, and the city declared a climate emergency in 2019 (whatever that means...), so there was already quite a bit of green hype. Although the design guidelines are probably a bit older, it seems no one really minded or anything...

What some authorities come up with is beyond imagination... I might accept a setback requirement, but prescribing the total lot coverage is another matter entirely.

If there are already some deviations in the neighborhood, I would check with the building authority how strictly this is enforced.

When in doubt, just wait until the nationwide solar panel requirement is introduced. In Baden-Württemberg, it currently looks like this:

In this case, state law would definitely override the local development plan.